‘Learning to Love What’s Difficult.’ Born Standing at 3’8”, Her Journey to Self-Love

Peggy O’Neill has one of the biggest hearts I know in one of the smallest bodies. Like many of us, Peggy struggled to find her place growing up; however, unlike many of us, Peggy was born a little person. Self-love and self-acceptance were values that she struggled with for many years due to low self-esteem.

When Peggy realized that she was going to be small for the rest of her life, she also recognized the social “stamp” that was placed on her—something that implied that she wasn’t as good as everyone else.

Growing up, people called her dwarf, midget, small fry, and by the time she was in her thirties, she was suicidal. However, by overcoming the critical voice in her head, Peggy was able to become a motivational speaker, author, and psychotherapist, and she shared with me her inspiring message of how to love what’s difficult in you.

Peggy realized how even though her circumstances of being a little person were not going to change, the way she viewed her circumstances could.

She made the decision to go from being suicidal to being able to celebrate her uniqueness.

In our KirstyTV interview, Peggy shared that she made the choice to focus on changing the things that she could control. In a valuable lesson that I think everyone can benefit from, Peggy said, “Just like they say in baseball, you have to keep your eye on the ball. If you’re feeling bullied, you have to keep your eye on your true self and not on this critical voice that comes up and says you’re not good enough.”

The biggest transformation that Peggy has had in her life is learning that potent love comes from all sorts of sources. She shared with me:

I used to believe that the degree of my lovability was measured by how much romance I had in my life—how much I was the “special” one for another, how much I was enraptured with the love from another.

Now, I look to how many blessings I am showered with each and every moment.

Not only is this a much more accurate measure, but also allows for so much more happiness!

It can be very difficult for many to learn how to love themselves. I hope that Peggy’s story will inspire you, like it has me, to live a full life and to understand that you are not flawed but that you are completely perfect just the way you are.

I would love to continue the conversation, so please post comments below on how you have been able to LOVE yourself more fully.

Kirsty attacks life like it’s a chocolate cake. She is the Executive Producer and Host of KirstyTV and an international speaker, author, and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. You can also follow Kirsty on Facebook and Twitter.